Gender

For the NetHack options, see options#gender, options#male or options#female.

When creating your character, you may choose a gender: male or female. This affects a number of events in the game:

• Female characters can lay eggs when polymorphed into a monster that lays eggs
• Any eggs found and carried by male characters have a 50/50 chance of hatching tame. Eggs found and carried by females will never hatch tame. (Eggs laid by you will always hatch tame, regardless of your current gender.)
• Male characters are seduced by the succubus, female characters by the incubus. During seduction, incubi will put a ring of adornment on your hand if you have one, while succubi will steal them.

The Valkyrie is the only class that can only start as female, although her gender can be changed with an amulet of change.

Monsters can be gendered (including neuter), but this affects only the pronoun used to describe their actions.

NetHack brass

In NetHack brass, female characters dressed as nurses can apply bandages faster than men.

SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, Yeomen are always male.

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.